


Birds of a Feather

by Allura99



Series: Birds of a Feather [2]
Category: Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:35:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Allura99/pseuds/Allura99
Summary: Mandatory fun has Damian and Raven at another carnival. A trip to the fortune teller may change their destinies forever.
Relationships: Raven/Damian Wayne
Series: Birds of a Feather [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964353
Comments: 21
Kudos: 167





	1. Chapter 1

Part 1 

Author's Note: This will take into account the movies Teen Titans vs Justice League as well as Teen Titans: The Judas Contract. It won't deal with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. I've imagined that Raven and Damian are 17-18 years old for this story and they are friends. 

[All standard disclaimers apply].

Damian glared at the bright lights as the rest of the Titans gathered together. They were having another of Starfire's mandatory fun nights. She had tried picnics in the park, baseball games, a trip to the zoo, even bowling. 

He had to admit that he hadn't hated the bowling. Especially since he won rather easily. Though he had detested wearing borrowed footwear.

Tonight they were at another carnival. The cheesy music and the screams of the crowd had him itching for his sword. But again, he was made to leave it in the car. He hoped that wouldn't prove to be a mistake. Again.

“Now remember,” Starfire said as she eyed the teenagers before her, “the goal is to have fun.”

“Then we shouldn't be here,” Damian muttered. He grunted as Raven elbowed him in his side.

“Do you have a question, Damian?” Starfire asked.

“No.”

She studied him for a moment before moving on. “We'll meet back here in two hours. Call if you need anything.”

“Have a good time,” Dick added, “but stay out of trouble.”

“Dude, we know,” Garfield said. “Let's go already!”

“Dismissed,” Dick announced with a chuckle. 

The teens scattered into the carnival. Some raced to the rides. Others toward the games. 

Damian watched as Dick and Kori walked into the crowd, holding hands. 

“So, Damian, what do you want to do?” Raven asked.

“Go home.”

“Don't ruin this for Kori. She works hard to get these nights together for us.”

“This doesn't seem like something you'd enjoy, Raven.”

“It's not,” she agreed. “But it's not always about me.”

She started to walk away but turned back to look at him. “I'm getting some cotton candy. Want to come?”

“Might as well,” he said. 

“You're not going to share?” Damian asked.

Raven shook her head as she ate another chunk of her bright blue cotton candy. “If you wanted some, you should have gotten some.”

“But I thought friends shared,” Damian said, moving closer to her.

“They do,” she said. “Just not cotton candy.”

Before she could react, he tore a hunk out of her treat and ate it. “Too sweet.”

“Jerk.”

“You don't need all that sugar anyway.”

She rolled her eyes. “So, what do you want to do now?”

Damian shrugged. “Want to try some games?”

“I'm not going to dance against you.”

He gave her a grin. “There are other games.”

“Pretty sure you're still banned from the ring toss.”

“There you are!” a voice called.

Raven and Damian turned to see Gar and Jaime approaching. Jaime waved at them while Gar carried a giant stuffed chicken.

“Looks like you guys have been busy at the games,” Raven said.

“You won't believe it!” Gar announced. “The guy at the ring toss stand has a picture of Damian in his booth. Looks like you're still banned, dude.”

Raven shot Damian a smirk as he muttered something about peasants holding grudges. 

“What have you two been doing?” Jaime asked.

“Cotton candy,” Raven said, waving her now mostly empty paper cone.

“Well, we saw this fortune telling booth,” Jaime said.

“It's new,” Gar added. “We'd thought we'd check it out.”

“Fortune telling?” Raven asked, her tone obviously skeptical.

“We know it's going to be fake,” Gar said, “but it could be fun.”

“Besides, we're nearly out of tickets,” Jaime said.

Raven glanced at Damian, who shrugged. “Fine.”

“Awesome,” Gar said. “Let's go.”

Unlike the other attractions at the carnival, there was no line outside the fortune telling booth. Also, unlike the other booths, you had to leave the main path and actually enter the booth. All to heighten the mysterious atmosphere, Raven thought.

She followed the boys inside. The small room was lit by candles. It held a table covered with a striped cloth and a couple of chairs. The scent of sage plus thyme and fennel made her wonder if they were dealing with a true practitioner. The cheap crystal ball sitting in the center of the table made her change her mind.

A short, dark-haired woman of indeterminate age emerged from curtained section of the booth. “Welcome, young visitors. I will be with you shortly.” She disappeared behind the curtains again.

“Oh, please, take your time,” Damian said, earning another elbow in the ribs from Raven.

“Don't be rude,” she hissed.

The woman emerged and sat down at the table. “Well, young friends, you have come to Madam Rosa. You wish to know your future. Who should go first?”

Gar and Jaime played rock, paper, scissors and Jaime won. Madam Rosa gestured for Jaime to sit down across from her. With a grin to his friends, he sat down and gave the woman his tickets.

“Place your hands on the ball.” He put his hands near the top. She guided his hands near the base and kept his hands covered with hers.

“Look into the ball. Look deep into the center.” Jaime's smile faded as he peered into the crystal ball. “Look deep. Look deeper still.”

Raven felt a sense of unease as she watched Jaime and the fortune teller. She couldn't detect any real magic. But something felt off.

“Ah,” Madam Rosa said as she gazed into the ball. “I see it now.”

She released Jaime's hands and he leaned back into his chair. He looked a little dazed. Then he frowned and shook his head as he probably argued with the scarab

“You have a struggle within you,” Madam Rosa stated. “You have tried many times and many ways to end this without success. I'm afraid that this will always be. However, you will make peace with it. Take comfort in that, my young friend.”

Jaime still looked a little dazed as he stood up. “Thank you.”

Gar sat down. He promptly gave Madam Rosa his tickets. With a huge smile, he placed his hands on the ball when instructed to do so. 

“Look deep into the ball,” she asked.

After just a moment, she let go of Gar's hands. “For one who changes so quickly, you have many changes ahead of you. Changes of heart. Changes of mind. But also changes of body.”

“Really? Like what? I get even more handsome?”

“Look into the ball again.”

Gar eagerly leaned forward to look again. But his smile quickly faded. “Bald? I'm going to be bald!”

“The future is never certain,” Madam Rosa said. “This is but a possibility.”

“Bald!” Gar huffed as he rose from the table.

Raven frowned as she continued to study the woman and the setup. The whole thing screamed charlatan. But something still seemed off.

“Everything all right?” Damian asked quietly. “Want to go?”

Madam Rosa looked at her. She smiled but there was a challenge in her eyes. “Are you next, dear?”

She had to find out what was going on, Raven decided. “Yes.”

She placed her tickets on the table and sat down. She took a moment to raise her mental shields. Then she placed her hands on the crystal ball.

She felt something trying to invade her, invade her mind as Madam Rosa's hands covered hers. Raven tried to pull away. Yet she couldn't move.

“Ah, what do we have here?” Madam Rosa asked, gripping Raven's hands tighter to the crystal. “A rare treat indeed.”

“Raven, are you okay?” Damian asked. “Raven!”

He moved to grab her but a ring of light suddenly surrounded the table and two women, preventing him from reaching her. He went for his sword but only found air. He cursed as he remembered it was safely in Kori's car. 

“Daughter of Trigon, Daughter of Hell,” Madam Rosa intoned, her eyes turning black, “now I bind you and bind you well. Journey forth and journey far. Find out what you truly are.”

There was a rush of wind. Raven screamed as all the candles went out. When the light returned, she was gone. Only Madam Rosa remained sitting at the table.

“Dios mio,” Jaime murmured.

“What?” Gar gasped. “What happened?”

“Where is she? Bring her back!” Damian demanded.

Madam Rosa glared at him with her full black eyes. “You order me? Who are you to order me?”

“Surely a being of your power knows who I am,” Damian said.

She smiled. “Yes. Grandson of the Demon's Head. Son of the Bat.”

“Bring her back,” Damian ordered. “Now.”

“No.”

A knife suddenly pinned her sleeve to the table. “The next one won't miss,” he promised. “Bring her back now.”

“It is not that simple.”

“Make it simple.”

“If you wish.” The crystal ball began to glow. “Child of blood, child of night, can you see what's in plain sight? Trials you will face together, my pretty, pretty birds of a feather.”

There was another rush of wind, putting the candles out again and plunging the room into darkness. However, when light returned, Gar and Jaime were standing in an empty lot. The booth, Madam Rosa and Damian were gone.

“We gotta find Kori and Dick,” Jaime said.


	2. Chapter 2

Raven grunted as she fell onto a stone floor. With a wince, she pushed herself up to her feet. She cursed herself as all kinds of fool as she tried to take in her surroundings. 

Why didn't she listen to her instincts? Part of her knew that something wasn't right with Madam Rosa. She should have dragged all of them out of there when she had the chance. Instead she had let her pride goad into accepting the challenge of an unknown magic user. Who sent her to Azar knew where.

She stood in a large room of some kind. The stone floor was rough and uneven. The walls were rough stone as well. There was no art, no decorations, no carvings to give her any idea of where she was.

She pulled out her cell phone. There was no signal. Not that she really expected one. But she was glad to see that her battery still had plenty of charge.

She checked the rest of her pockets. She had a tube of vanilla lip balm, her wallet, and a peppermint. Not an extensive list of supplies. 

With a sigh, she looked around the room again. She didn't immediately see a way out. “Eenie, meenie, miney, mo.” She settled on heading out to her right.

She tried to change into her uniform. She frowned when her magic and thus her uniform didn't come. Taking a breath, she tried again. But it was the same result.

“Daughter of Trigon, Daughter of Hell, now I bind you and bind you well,” Madam Rosa had said. “Journey forth and journey far. Find out what you truly are.” 

Raven clenched her fists. Madam Rosa had bound her powers. There was no hint in the spell on how to undo it. “Great,” she muttered.

So she was in an unknown place, alone, without her powers and with no way of contacting her friends. 

'How could things get worse?' she wondered.

As if to answer her, there was a roar that shook the floor underneath her feet.

“Just great,” Raven muttered. 

She began to move, hoping to put some distance between herself and whatever made that roar.

“Umph.” 

Damian rolled as he landed against the rough ground, lessening the impact. A sharp rock still managed to jab in him in the ribs. He rubbed his side as he got to his feet.

He was in some kind of room. There was a door a few feet away. The rest of the room was entirely bare.

He was still dressed in his civilian clothes. But he had his utility belt with its supplies. His sword was still likely in Kori's car but he could make do without it. 

He left the room, entering a long, dark corridor. He stopped for a moment and listened. He could hear footsteps approaching.

He readied a batarang and stepped back into the doorway, hiding in the shadows. He waited and watched as a figure entered the corridor. Due to the low light, he couldn't make out any details until the person was almost on top of him.

“Raven?”

She jerked to a stop. “Damian?”

He emerged from the doorway. “Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here?” she asked as she watched him with wide eyes.

“That witch sent me here.”

“Why?”

“I demanded that she bring you back. She sent me after you instead.”

“Oh, Damian,” she sighed. “You shouldn't have done that.”

He shrugged. “Are you okay?”

“She bound my powers,” she replied. “Other than that, I'm fine. You?”

“I've got my utility belt. My sword's still in Kori's car.” He pulled out a knife and handed it to her. “Take it.”

She studied it for a moment before taking it and placing it inside her boot. “Thanks.”

“Any idea of how to get your powers back?”

She shook her head. “Not yet.”

“And your father?”

“Still trapped.” She managed a small smile. “Still bitching.”

“How does that work?” he asked, frowning. 

Raven used her magic to trap her father in the crystal on her forehead and keep him there. The fact that Raven didn't have access to her magic should have Trigon running free to wreck vengence on the world. Though Damian was glad that Trigon was staying put, at least for now. 

“Have no idea,” she admitted. 

There was a roar, echoing around them. 

“Damn, it's getting closer,” Raven said.

“Friend of yours?”

“No, and I'd rather keep it that way.”

He nodded. “Let's get going.”

Damian set a brisk pace, trying to put some distance between them and the roaring creature. They wandered through a seemingly endless maze of corridors. But the roars were becoming quieter.

“We need to rest,” Damian said, breaking the silence.

“I can keep going.”

“We need to conserve our energy. We don't know how far these hallways go before we find a way out.” He sat down and leaned against the wall. 

Raven sat down beside him, their shoulders almost touching. “If there's even a way out.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“We don't know where we are,” she said. “We could be in some kind of maze or a castle or a magical construct designed to keep us here forever.”

“Too early to form any definite conclusions. We need to keep looking for a way out for now.”

“And if we find a way out?”

“We'll deal with whatever we find.”

She managed a small smile. “A simple plan.”

“Simple plans are best.”

They sat in companionable silence, lost in their own thoughts. As selfish as it was, Raven was glad that Damian was here. While he had mellowed some during his time with the Titans, she knew that many of her teammates would not feel the same.

Maybe it was that they were both loners. Or the issues they each had with their fathers. Whatever the reason, they had managed to form a real friendship. To the amazement of the rest of the residents of the Tower.

They weren't the most obvious friends. They didn't hang out a lot in the common room like the rest of the team, sharing jokes and playing video games. But sometimes you could finding them playing a game of a chess in a quiet corner or meditating together on the roof.

They expressed their friendship in other ways. Damian would occasionally gift her a rare book that he had found, usually during travels with his father. She would give him weapons from time to time that she thought he would like. Such as the knife he had given back to her.

They were definitely unusual friends. But it worked for them. If anyone could help her get out of this mess, it would be Damian.

Feeling her eyes on him, Damian turned to her. “What?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, fighting the urge to blush. He studied her for a moment before he went back to watching the other end of the corridor.

They sat in silence again before Raven asked, “Do you remember what Madam Rosa said to send you here?”

“Child of blood, child of night,” he recited, “can you see what's in plain sight? Trials you will face together, my pretty, pretty birds of a feather.”

“So it looks like we've got trials to look forward to,” Raven said.

“Any idea of who she is?” he asked. “She seemed to know a lot about us. Daughter of Trigon.” He gestured to her. “Grandson of the Demon's Head and son of the Bat,” he said, gesturing to himself. 

“She does know a lot about us,” Raven agreed. “But I wasn't even sure she was using magic until it was too late. I don't know why she's doing this.”

“I don't care about why as long as we get out of here. We can worry about why later.” 

“I'm glad you're here, Damian,” she admitted.

The corner of his lips quirked up, his version of a real smile. “You're lucky it's me. It could have been Gar or Jaime. Although Jaime wouldn't be so bad, I guess.”

Raven rolled eyes as she got to her feet. “Let's go, Boy Wonder. The exit's not going to find itself.”

He gave her a glare before he followed her example. Taking point, he resumed heading down the corridor. Raven followed behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Damian bit back the urge to swear as they entered another corridor. He hoped that they were in a physical location like a maze or a castle. He didn't know what to do if they were in some kind of magical dimension, especially with Raven without her powers.

He glanced back over his shoulder at her. She had kept up with him without complaint as he knew she would. He had allowed them another short rest but otherwise he had kept pressing on to find an exit.

They needed to find a place to really rest. They would also need to find water and food if they could. He had some emergency supplies in his belt but they wouldn't last long.

“Damian? Everything okay?”

He nodded. “Do you want to rest again?”

“No, let's keep going.”

They made it to the end of the corridor. Damian blinked, surprised to see a set of stone stairs leading up into somewhere. It could be the exit they were looking for. 

“This could be a trick,” he said, studying the stairs.

“I say we try it,” Raven said.

“All right,” he agreed. “Let's go.”

They made their way up the steep stone stairs. At the top was an open doorway. He gestured for Raven to wait as he moved forward. He was annoyed as she ignored his order and followed him.

They were in a room lined with suits of armor. Damian waited with a batarang in his hand to see if they would attack. After a moment, he relaxed and walked up to one of suits.

It wasn't any armor that he recognized which surprised him. His knowledge of weapons were very extensive thanks to his training in the League of Assassins, which had been continued under Batman. The engravings on the chest were unfamiliar as well.

“Can you read this?” he asked Raven. 

She studied the armor for a moment before shaking her head. “I don't even recognize the alphabet.”

“Strange,” he murmured. Raven knew as many languages as he did, though she tended toward more archaic ones given the rare books that she read.

There was a sudden screech. Damian grabbed the sword in front of him. Raven quickly moved to another suit or armor and grabbed a pike.

He approved of her choice. The pike was a weapon meant to keep distance between the wielder and its target. He knew that Raven sometimes sparred with Kori with a staff so she would have some experience with a similar weapon. 

That would leave him to handle any close combat. He tested the weight and balance of the sword, glad to find it was a sound weapon. He was fine with that.

There was another screech and a creature lumbered into the room.

It appeared feline, almost like a tiger, but it had no hair. Its dark gray hide looked like leather. It screeched again, revealing two sets of nasty looking teeth. Two more creatures arrived behind it. 

'Three against two,' Damian noted. Not ideal but he should be able to handle this.

“Stay behind me,” he told her.

“No.”

“Raven,” he growled.

The first creature leaped forward, preventing any further discussion. Damian threw a batarang. It bounced off the creature's forehead. It stopped for a moment before shaking its head, merely dazed.

He moved forward to engage the first creature. He sent another batarang at the second creature, trying to keep its attention on him as well. But the third creature moved past them toward Raven.

The first creature swiped at his head. Damian dodged it and slashed at the creature's forelimb. It roared in pain as it retreated, favoring its injured paw. The second creature stepped forward to take its place. 

Raven tightened her grip on the pike as the third creature approached her. She tried to stab it but the creature dodged her jab easily. It circled her, occasionally feinting an attack. 

She scrambled back, trying to keep some distance. She didn't want the creature to corner her against a wall or one of the displays of armor. They kept moving, kept circling each other.

Finally she saw an opening and attacked. The creature roared as she drove the pike into its side, putting all of her strength into it. The wooden shaft of the pike suddenly broke as the creature thrashed.

Before she could move away, the creature raked its claws across her side. She cried out in pain as she stumbled away from the creature. She still held the broken shaft of the pike in her hand.

“Raven!”

The creature knocked her to the floor with a swipe of its tail. Before she could get to her feet, the creature loomed over her. She could feel the warm breath of the creature wash over her as it growled.

She drove the shaft underneath the creature's jaw. It tried to pull away but Raven kept shoving her weapon deeper and deeper. Then the creature shuddered and collapsed to the floor beside her.

She jerked when something suddenly grabbed her shoulders.

“It's me,” Damian said, pulling her away from the dead creature.

Raven glanced at the other side of the room. She saw the bodies of the other two creatures. It looked like they were safe for now.

“Can you stand up?” Damian asked.

“I'm fine,” she said as he helped her to her feet.

“You're bleeding,” he said. He led her to sit on the edge of one of the armor displays. “Let me take a look.”

“I'm fine, Damian.”

“Let me take a look, Raven,” he said, his tone sharper.

With a sigh, she began to pull up her t-shirt. Damian clenched his jaw as the three angry, bleeding claw marks along the lower edge of her ribs became visible. He reached into his utility belt for some antiseptic. He hoped that the creature's claws didn't have any poison.

“This is going to sting,” Damian said.

“I know.”

He kept cleaning her wounds, trying to ignore each time she hissed in pain. The bleeding from the top and bottom claw marks was already slowing down. A tight bandage would be all they need. But the middle one was deeper and was still bleeding vigorously.

“You need stitches,” he told her.

“Do you have the stuff do it?”

“Yes, I have the sutures but I don't have anything more than basic pain relievers.”

“Okay.”

He stared at her. “Raven, I don't have anything to numb the area.”

“I understand.”

He felt his temper flare. “You're wanting me to stitch you up with nothing more than Tylenol for the pain. You're going to feel everything that I'm doing!”

“I know, Damian,” she said, her voice calm. “But you said that I need the stitches. So I need the stitches. It's just pain. I can handle pain.”

But it was going to be him that was hurting her this time. Not her father. Not some stupid criminal. It was going to be him and there was damn little he could do about it. 

He grabbed the pain reliever out of his belt. “Take these.”

She took the pills and managed to swallow them dry. “I'm ready.” 

He got out his supplies. Once he had everything ready, he looked up at her. “I'll be as quick as I can.”

“I know.” She closed her eyes and began chanting her mantra.

She was still as stone under his hands as he stitched the wound closed. The only indication that she felt any discomfort at all was the occasional stammer in her chant or hiss of breath. He made himself keep going.

“All done,” he said at last. “I just have to put a dressing over it.”

Raven took a deep breath and then opened her eyes. “Thank you, Damian.”

“You're welcome,” he said before getting to work on a dressing.


	4. Chapter 4

“Okay,” Raven said, “I'm officially over this place.” 

Damian gave a snort as he followed her into the courtyard. A large fountain sat in the center, throwing mist into the air. There were stone benches facing each side of the fountain. The shrubs and other plants that were scattered throughout the area were all dead and brown. 

“Let's rest here for a moment,” Damian said as he led her to one of the benches.

He felt a hint of worry when she didn't argue with him. As she sat down, he took a good look at her face. She was definitely more pale than normal. 

“I'm going to get you some water,” he said.

“Do you think it's safe to drink?”

“I'm got some water purification drops,” he said. “Should make it safe.”

“What else do you have in that belt?”

He smirked as he pulled out a collapsible canteen.

“Of course,” she said, rolling her eyes. 

The water was clear. He filled up the canteen and added the drops. He handed Raven the canteen, deliberately running his fingers over hers.

'At least she's not running a fever,' he thought as he sat down beside her.

He looked up at the sky. It was overcast, preventing him from seeing how many suns there were. They could be on Earth or anywhere else. 

He didn't know if they were any closer to finding a way out of here and getting home.

He glanced at Raven. She drank the last of the water and leaned back against the bench. He took the canteen out of her hand. “I'll get you some more.”

“I'm okay, Damian,” she said.

“I'll get you some more.”

She sighed as he went back to the fountain. She wordlessly took the canteen when he returned. She took a drink before offering it to him.

“I'll get some in a minute,” he said. “You keep drinking.”

She drank some more. “Guess I need to work on my hand-to-hand when we get back.”

“You held your own,” he said, “considering that you don't have access to your powers.”

“Careful, Damian,” she said, smiling. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”

“Witch,” he said with a teasing smirk. He took the canteen again. “I'm going to get some more water.”

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he sat back down.

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“I feel like I got clawed by some freaky cat thing. Better?”

He frowned. “Anything else?”

“Isn't that enough?”

“I should check your wound.”

She sighed but began to pull up her shirt, exposing the bandage. He gently removed it. The more shallow claw marks were scabbed over. His stitches holding the middle claw mark closed looked good. There was no further bleeding. He put the bandage back in place. 

“No signs of infection,” he told her as he pulled her shirt back down.

“That's some good news at least,” she said. “Ready to move on?”

He shook his head. “I think we should rest here. Try to get some sleep.”

Raven glanced around the courtyard. “As good a place as any, I guess.”

“I'll take first watch.”

“No, you should sleep,” she argued. “I can keep watch.”

“I'm not tired.”

“Damian.”

“You're wounded. You need sleep more than I do.” He squeezed her arm. “I'll sleep after you do.”

“Promise?” she asked, hating that she was giving in so easily.

His eyes softened. “Promise.”

“Okay.” She closed her eyes and used a meditation technique to quickly fall asleep.

Damian went completely still when Raven suddenly curled up against his side. Granted he was probably more comfortable than the side of the stone bench. Warmer, too.

He eased her head onto his shoulder, hoping it would make her comfortable. She murmured something that sounded like his name. He fought the urge to blush as she hugged his arm.

Neither he nor Raven were big into displays of affection. Part of it was that she was an empath. Too much contact tended to flood her with too much emotion. 

But part of it was him as well. He was distrustful of others. Affection left you open to manipulation and betrayal. He may have left the League of Assassins but he hadn't left its training behind.

He didn't know when he began to not mind when it was Raven. He didn't shrug her off when she touched his arm when they talked or nudge his shoulder as she made a joke. He found himself wanting to tuck her hair back behind her ear or hold her hand when they walked together.

He knew that he wanted him and Raven to be something more than friends. But it would mean risking what they had if she didn't feel the same. Damian didn't think that he could risk losing Raven as a friend. He didn't have many of those.

It was better to leave things as they were. While it wasn't fun trying to hide his feelings from an empath, he had managed to do it so far. He could keep doing it.

He frowned as he realized that her lips were moving in her sleep. Was she dreaming? Or was it a nightmare?

“Raven.”

Her eyes snapped open, glowing red. “Insolent whelp! You'll be the first one I kill. I'll kill you slowly. I'll make you suffer. And I'll make her watch every moment.”

Trigon.

“Hard to do that from Hell,” Damian remarked.

“She can't keep me trapped in here forever. Soon she'll falter and I'll be free. And then I'll come for you, you insignificant maggot!”

“I'll be ready.”

Raven closed her eyes and shuddered. When she opened her eyes again, Damian found himself looking into her familiar violet eyes. “Hey,” she said quietly.

“Hey.”

“Sorry about that,” she said, rubbing her forehead.

“What was that?”

“Dad's testing the strength of the crystal,” she replied. “It's still holding. He's pretty pissed.”

“I'd gathered.”

Her eyes snapped back to his. “What do you mean?”

“He talked to me. Seems to have some sort of grudge. Promised to kill me slowly, make me suffer.”

“Shit.” She looked away as she curled her hands into fists. “He shouldn't be able to do that.”

“Raven?”

She took a deep breath. “It's fine. The crystal's still holding. He's not going anywhere.”

“What aren't you telling me?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly, still not meeting his eyes.

“Raven.”

“It's fine, Damian,” she said. “He's still in the crystal. It's still holding.”

He studied her for a moment before he reluctantly said, “Okay.”

“I think it's your turn to sleep,” she said.

“I can wait.”

“You promised, Damian,” she reminded him, placing her hand on his arm.

It was obvious that she wasn't telling him something. But he knew better than to push. Raven would tell him when she was ready or not at all. He may not like it but he would have to wait her out for now.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Wake me if anything happens.”

“I will,” she assured him.

He gave her one last look before settling back against the bench. He could still feel her hand on his arm as he closed his eyes. It was still there as he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Raven rubbed her temples as Damian slept beside her. Her father had talked to Damian, had threatened him. Her father shouldn't had been able to do that. He shouldn't be able to take her over like that.

Something was wrong.

'I'll destroy everyone and everything that you love, daughter,' Trigon told her. 'Starting with him.'

'You're imprisoned in the crystal,' Raven reminded him. 'You're not doing shit.'

'I can feel you weakening. Your prison's failing without your powers. You can hold me here by will alone for only so long. I will be free soon enough.'

'You won't escape.'

'Yes, I will, daughter. Yes, I will.'

She felt uneasy as her father went silent. She could feel him gloating as he settled in to wait for the crystal to fail. Waiting for his chance to escape.

She needed to get her powers back so she could reinforce the crystal. She needed to get Damian away from her so he couldn't become a target for her father. She needed to get home so she could consult her books.

She didn't know how she could do any of those things right now.

She glanced at Damian. He looked so peaceful as he slept. The scowl he usually wore was gone, making him look younger, closer to his actual age. 

How could she convince him to leave her? To split up?

As she watched him, she knew that she wouldn't be able to convince him to separate. He would stick with her. Even if she told him that danger that she posed, he would stay. 

Stubborn, loyal idiot that he was.

She would need to be the one to leave. 

She closed her eyes at the pang in her heart. She didn't want to separate. But she would.

She would keep him safe.

Even from her.

She allowed herself to watch him a little longer. She tried to memorize every feature of his face. She didn't know when she would see him again.

She got up from the bench, careful not to jostle him. She was halfway across the courtyard when she heard him say her name. She looked back to see him staring at her.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice still thick from sleep.

“Need to pee,” she said. “I don't think I need your help with that.”

His face flushed. “Don't be gone too long.”

“I won't,” she said, hating that she was lying to him. She took one of the hallways off the courtyard and was gone.

Damian waited for Raven. He wouldn't go back to sleep until she was back. He sat up on the bench, rolling out the kinks in his neck and shoulders.

The episode with her father had obviously bothered her. He had to admit that it had bothered him too. He didn't like the idea of Trigon being able to take over her so easily, even if it had been while she was asleep. He wished that she would just tell him what else was going on.

Didn't she know that she could tell him anything?

He glanced around the courtyard. Raven had been gone for too long for a simple bathroom break. He got up from the bench and called her name.

There was nothing but silence.

He headed to the hallway he saw she enter. “Raven?”

Again there was silence. He looked down the hallway. It was empty. 

Where was she?

He followed the hallway, thinking that she may have gone around a corner for some privacy. But the further he walked, the more uneasy he became. This was further than she should have gone.

Was she attacked? Did something take her? If so, why hadn't he heard it?

“Raven!”

She could hear Damian call her name. She had hoped to have more of a head-start before he began to look for her. She walked faster, trying to put some distance between her and Damian. 

'This is futile,' Trigon told her. 'Your pitiful attempt to save him will be in vain.'

“Shut up,” she hissed.

'Because you love him, you have doomed him.' Her father laughed. 'I will greatly enjoy his suffering. And yours.'

“You won't touch him,” she growled. “I won't let you.”

'So fierce, my daughter.'

“You have no idea.”

Her father chuckled in amusement before falling silent again. Raven was glad for the silence. She had had enough father-daughter bonding for one day.

The hallway widened into some kind of room. There was a hallway straight ahead while there was one on the left and another on the right. She paused, trying to decide on which hall to take.

She felt a brush of wind. She looked up to see something drop from the ceiling. She jumped out of the way. As she rolled to her feet, she pulled Damian's knife from her boot. 

Where she had been standing was some kind of insect. It looked like a giant beetle. It clacked its pincers at her as it stalked toward her. 

Raven backed up as she eyed the monster. The creature's dark green exoskeleton gleamed in the low light. Each of its six legs was tipped with a pair of sharp looking claws. There didn't seem to be any obvious weak spots.

“Great,” she muttered as she shifted the knife in her hand.

The creature roared as it scuttled forward. Raven veered left, dodging the pincers. She managed to stab its foreleg as she was moving. The creature screamed, making her ears ring, as green ichor poured out on the floor. 

She tried to stab it behind another leg. But her knife glanced off the tough exoskeleton. She slashed another leg, making the creature scream again.

The creature lurched around, knocking her aside. She scrambled back to her feet. Her side was throbbing but she did her best to ignore the pain. 

The creature was listing, favoring the side where she had injured its legs. She hoped it would slow it down. There was a gap between the creature's head and thorax. She hoped that it was a vulnerable spot.

She feinted toward the creature's weak side. As she expected, the creature turned its other side toward her, trying to protect its injured legs. She stabbed the creature in the spot behind its head.

It bucked as it screamed. She clung to the knife, fighting to hang on as the creature writhed. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she pulled out the knife and stabbed again. The beetle tried to throw her off again but its struggles grew weaker. She stabbed it a third time. With a final scream, the creature fell to the floor and went still.

Raven pulled the knife out of the creature. Dark green ichor coated the blade. She tore off a piece of her shirt and cleaned the blade off.

Her wound was definitely hurting now. She pressed a hand against her side as she limped across the room. She sat down against one of the walls, avoiding the pool of ichor spreading across the floor. She tucked Damian's knife back in her boot before dropping her head against the wall to rest. 

She could hear running footsteps. She looked up to see Damian enter the room with a batarang in his hand. He looked at her then to the dead creature and back. 

“Are you all right?” he demanded.

“I'm okay.”

“What were you doing? Where were you going?” He returned the batarang to his utility belt. “This is a little far for a bathroom break, Raven.”

“You need to go, Damian.”

“What? No.”

“You need to listen to me,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “Apparently the crystal's weakening without my powers. My father's going to escape soon if I don't find a way to get them back.”

“Okay, another problem to add to the list,” he said.

“You don't understand,” Raven insisted. “My father has decided that you're a target. If he gets free, he's going to come after you first. He's going to kill you.”

Damian scoffed. “Let him try.”

“This is not the time to be an insufferable ass, Damian Wayne,” she spat. “You need to get far, far away from me.”

He crossed his arms across his chest as he glared at her. “Not happening.”

“Do you want to die?”

“No,” he said. “But I'm not going to run away either.”

“Damian, just go,” she ordered.

He shook his head. “We're in this together, Raven.”

“Oh, Azar,” she muttered as she leaned back against the wall. “If you start giving one of Dick's pep talks...”

“As if I would stoop to quoting Grayson,” he said. He frowned as he looked her over. “You're bleeding.”

“I think I've done something to my wound.”

“I'll take a look.”

He dropped to one knee beside her before pulling up her shirt. His frown deepened as he saw fresh blood on the bandage. He pulled the bandage off and saw that she had pulled some of the stitches during her fight with the bug. The wound was bleeding sluggishly but it was bleeding steadily.

“I can use strips or I can try to stitch it again,” he told her. 

“Strips.”

He nodded, pulling the supplies out of his belt. He quickly had the wound patched and bandaged again. He glad to see that there were no sign of infection. He gently pulled her shirt back down. 

“Can you walk?” he asked.

She gave a weak nod. “As long as we take it easy.”

He helped her to her feet. He kept an arm wrapped around her waist to support her. “Stay with me, Raven.” 

She looked up at him and sighed. “Okay.”


	6. Chapter 6

Damian cursed as they walked back to the courtyard. “This is not possible.”

“Could we be walking in circles?”

“There is nothing wrong with my sense of direction.”

“No, of course not,” Raven said, rolling her eyes.

“Let's just sit and rest for a moment,” he said, guiding her to a bench.

He frowned as he watched her sit down. She seemed even paler if that was possible. He brushed his fingers against her wrist and almost shivered at how cold her skin was. 

Blood loss or something else? 

He shrugged out of his hoodie and wrapped it around her, leaving him in a black long-sleeved t-shirt. 

“Damian?” She looked at him quizzically as he pulled his hoodie around her shoulders.

“You're cold.”

She looked away. “Demon physiology. My body's trying to conserve its energy.”

“To heal?”

She still refused to meet his eyes. “Among other things.”

The crystal. 

Her body was diverting energy away from things like generating body heat to fuel the crystal, to keeping Trigon trapped. Was she even doing it consciously? He wondered how long she could keep this up. Given how pale she was and how long it was taking her wound to heal, he guessed it wasn't much longer.

He raged at his feeling of impotence. He had to fix this. He needed to find a way to get Raven's her powers back or get them home.

But he didn't know how he was going to do that.

Especially since it seemed that they were walking in circles.

“I'm going to get us some water,” he said. At least he could do that.

“Okay,” she said, pulling his hoodie tighter around her. 

He pulled out his collapsible canteen and headed to the still working fountain. He filled his container before adding the water purifying drops. They would soon be out of the drops, another problem to add to the ever growing list. Should they risk drinking the water without it? Could he cut back on the drops and risk using less than the proper dose?

He was still pondering the water problem as he turned from the fountain. He stopped when he saw Raven staring at him in horror. “Raven?”

“Damian, behind you!”

He turned, dropping the canteen, as he saw tentacles rise out of the fountain toward him.

Raven was already running toward the fountain as the tentacles grabbed Damian and dragged him under the water. Her wound burned in protest of her sudden movements but Raven ignored the pain. Nothing mattered but saving Damian.

She pulled his knife out and slashed at the nearest tentacle. Something roared, shaking the cobblestones under her feet. She kept slashing and stabbing, ignoring the blood raining down on her as she fought her way to the fountain.

She heard a gasp. She turned to see Damian surface to take a big gulp of air. “Damian!”

He manged to glare as he saw her. “Get out of here!”

“No!” she shouted, stabbing another tentacle.

“Raven!” She risked another look and saw that he now had a batarang in each hand, stabbing at the tentacles wrapped around him. “Raven, get out of here!”

A squid-like head rose from the fountain. It was far bigger than what the previously shallow waters of the fountain should have allowed. It let out an ear-piercing roar as it glared as its prey.

“Raven, cover your eyes!”

She immediately ducked her head. She could still see that flashes of his flash bomb behind her eyelids. Without the warning, she would have been temporarily blinded. 

The creature seemed dazed. Damian threw a batarang at its head. It whimpered in pain and the tentacles around him suddenly him go. 

Damian fell into the fountain with a splash. Raven pressed their advantage, striking at more of the tentacles. The creature made another cry of pain, retreating back under the water, as Damian jumped out of the fountain. Raven ducked as a tentacle whipped over her head as it withdrew back into the water.

Damian ran toward her. He scooped up his canteen before he half-dragged Raven across the courtyard away from the fountain. He waited for a moment, watching the waters for any further signs of the creature. The water remained deceptively still.

“Let's get out of here,” he said.

“Okay.”

He picked a corridor that they haven't been down and started walking.

They walked down several hallways before Damian had decided there were far away enough from the courtyard to rest. Raven was glad for the break. She slid down the wall to sit and closed her eyes with a sigh. Her side was burning, meaning that she had probably opened her wound again while trying to save Damian.

Damian sat down beside her, offering her the canteen. “Here.”

Raven shook her head. “Save it. We just lost our water source.”

“We can find another one,” he said. “You need to drink.”

“I'm fine.”

“Raven, you're bleeding. Again.”

She narrowed her eyes. “So are you.”

Damian touched the cut near his hairline. He glanced at the blood on his fingertips and shrugged. “I'll be fine.”

“Me, too.”

“Quit being so damn stubborn, Raven,” he growled. “Let me help you.”

“You first.”

He glared at her for a moment, clearly wanting to argue. Well that was tough for him. She was not going to let Damian treat her like some helpless damsel. She may be without her powers but she was still a Titan.

“Fine,” he ground out.

“Pass me your kit.”

He grudgingly passed her the first aid kit out of his belt. She cleaned the cut near his hairline and another she found on his left forearm. Thankfully neither were very deep. Both just needed a bandage.

“My turn,” he said once she was finished.

She leaned back against the wall and pulled up her shirt. “I think I ruined your hoodie.”

Damian looked up from removing her bandage and noticed the black blood sprayed across his red hoodie. “You can get me another one for my birthday.”

“What if I getting you something else for your birthday?”

He shrugged. “Guess I'm out a hoodie.”

He went back to removing her bandage. He frowned as he saw her wound. While there was no signs of infection, it was still open and bleeding. “I'm going to use strips to try to close this again.”

“Okay.”

He worked on cleaning the wound. “You shouldn't have come after me, Raven.”

“Excuse me?”

“You shouldn't have come after me back there,” he said, continuing to work on her wound. “You got hurt. You should have let me handle it.”

“Yeah, because you had it so under control,” she said sarcastically.

“I was doing fine.” 

“You were under water,” she retorted.

“Raven.”

“We're in this together,” she reminded him. “You said it yourself.”

He sighed. “I did.”

“So I'm not going to sit by while you're in danger,” she said. 

“Fine. I get it.” He finished bandaging her wound and pulled her shirt back down. He grabbed the canteen and handed to her again. “Will you have a drink now?”

She gave him a look before taking a small sip. She quickly handed it back to him. He wanted to press her to drink more but knew better than to press his luck. 

“You need to drink, too, Damian.”

He wanted to refuse. She was right that they wouldn't be using the fountain as a water source again. He didn't know when they would find another source of water. They would need to conserve what they had.

But she wouldn't let him refuse after having her drink. He took a smaller sip than she had. “There. Happy?”

“Ecstatic.”

He sat down beside her. “We should rest here for a while before moving on.”

Raven glanced up and down the hallway. They should be able to see anything coming for them. It seemed as good a place as any to rest. “Okay. Want to take first watch?”

Damian glanced at her, surprised at her request. “Sure.”

She tried to settle into a more comfortable position against the stone wall of the hallway. “Wake me when it's my turn.”

“Will do.”

Raven had only been asleep for a few minutes when she shifted closer to him. Unlike before, he was barely surprised. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. She murmured something too faint for him to make out as she curled into his shoulder.

“Shh,” he soothed. He waited as she settled back down. All of her eyes thankfully remained closed.

He could feel the coolness of her forehead against his shoulder. He ground his teeth in frustration. She should be warmer. She should be healing. They were running out of what supplies they had. And they couldn't find a way out of this stupid castle.

Raven began muttering again. Her brow was furrowed as she talked in her sleep. Damian squeezed her closer. “It's okay, Raven. Sleep.”

He suddenly found himself staring into four red demonic eyes. “Let her rest, Trigon,” he ordered.

“I will enjoy ripping out your tongue and feeding it to you,” Trigon said. “I will enjoy her suffering as she watches.”

“You're welcome to try,” Damian said, “but for now, let her rest.”

“She is weakening,” the demon gloated. “It won't be long before I am free. And then I will destroy you. Slowly and painfully.”

To his amazement, the demon faded, leaving Raven asleep against his shoulder. Damian watched over her with troubled thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

“Well,” Raven said, “I wasn't expecting this.”

They walked into a large room that looked like a library. Shelves of books lined the walls and a giant table sat in the center of the room. A few books were scattered across the table.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Damian said.

Raven sat down in the nearest chair and pulled a book to her. She sighed in frustration when she realized that she couldn't read the language. She passed the book to Damian. He glanced at it for a moment before placing it back on the table with a shake of his head.

“I'm going to see what else is here,” he said as he drifted to the shelves.

Raven grabbed another book. Again she didn't recognize the alphabet. She opened another book and then another with the same result.

She stopped reading, leaning back in the chair. She watched Damian as he wandered the shelves. He would pull out a book or scroll, try to read it for a moment, and then put it back. Clearly he wasn't having any better luck.

'Soon, daughter.'

Raven shivered as she pulled Damian's hoodie tighter around her. It wouldn't be long before the crystal failed. Her strength was fading fast now.

Her eyes drifted back to Damian. Her father would go after him first. Because of her, because of her feelings for him.

Damian returned to the table with an armful of books. “Any luck?”

“No.”

“Me either.” He took the first book off his pile and handed it took her. “But let's keep going.”

She nodded, opening the book. After realizing that it too was unreadable, she closed it and started a new stack. Fighting the urge to sigh, she grabbed another book.

When they went through the first pile, Damian got up and got another stack of books. She didn't know how he was picking the books. Did he think that he recognized the writing on the spine? Did he find the covers interesting? Or was he just pulling random books, hoping that he would pull out one that one of them could read and give them a clue about where they were?

She didn't ask. She just worked her way through the books. Soon the table was covered with rejected tomes and then they were making stacks on the floor. 

She noted the grim expression on his face as he returned from the last set of shelves with another armful of books. “If there isn't one in this stack, I'll go back over the shelves again,” he told her.

“Why bother?” she asked. “I don't think that we'll find anything here.”

He paused, studying her. “So you want to go back to wandering around the castle?”

She shrugged. “It's as good an idea as any.”

He glanced around the library. “Let's go through this stack and then take a break before we make any decisions.”

“Fine.” She took a book and began flipping through it. Like the others, she couldn't read it. She could read Sanskrit but she couldn't read whatever language this was. 

She reached for the next book.

“My, my, you two have certainly made a mess of the library.”

Damian had a batarang in his hand as he placed himself between Raven and the figure that had suddenly appeared at the end of the room. The figure stepped forward from the shadows. “Madam Rosa,” Damian identified.

“I hope that you have been careful with the books,” she said, picking one up from a stack on the floor. She studied it for a moment before setting it back down. “Some are quite valuable and would be difficult to replace.”

“Why are you here?” Damian demanded. “Are you going to send us home?”

Madam Rosa eyed him as she made her way around the table. “Alas I cannot send you both home.”

“Why not?” Damian persisted. “You sent us here.”

“That is not how this works, my young friend,” she said. She placed something on the table and stepped back. “However, I can send one of you home.”

“And what happens to the other one?” Raven asked.

Madam Rosa turned to her. “That one would stay here.”

“For how long?”

The other woman shrugged.

“No, we're not doing this,” Damian said.

Raven stared at the object Madam Rosa had put on the table. It was a large opal. Why would she put a gemstone on the table?

“How does it work?” Raven asked.

Damian whirled to her. “Raven, no.”

She kept her attention on Madam Rosa. “How does one of us get home?”

Madam Rosa smiled. “It is simple. You will simply touch the gem. And I would not try to cheat by touching it together. Only one of you can use it.”

“What else?” Raven demanded.

Madam Rosa blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Surely there is something else. It can't be that easy.”

Madam Rosa inclined her head. “The gem will only work for the next twenty minutes or so. After that, it will not work.”

“This is insane!” Damian protested. 

“Make your decision soon, young ones,” Madam Rosa said, backing away. “You do want to waste this opportunity.”

Damian threw his batarang but Madam Rosa had already disappeared. He retrieved his weapon and stashed it back in his utility belt. “We are not going to do this, Raven.”

Raven tore her eyes away from the gem. “But you can go home!”

“Me! If anyone is going, it's you!”

She shook her head. “I can't go. The crystal's going to fail soon. My father's going to be free.”

“All the more reason for you to go. If you go back, you'll have the Titans and the League to help you get him back in his prison.”

“But you'll be stuck here!”

He stepped forward and took her hands. “Raven, I'll be fine.”

“You don't know that,” she protested. “You almost got drowned by the squid in the fountain.”

He smiled. “I told you that I had that under control.”

“Yes, totally under control,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“Exactly.”

“You really are an insufferable ass, Damian Wayne.” 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Damian froze.

Raven wondered if she had overstepped, if she had misjudged him. Then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tightly against him. And he kissed her back.

She let herself get lost in the feeling of his chapped lips brushing against hers. His hand gliding up and down her back. His soft hair as it ran through her fingers.

Reluctantly she pulled away. She pressed her forehead against his, wanting to keep this moment forever. But like all good things in her life, it couldn't last.

“Raven,” he said softly, slowly opening his eyes.

She gave him a small smile as she took his hands in hers. She hoped that one day that he would forgive her. She hoped that she saw him again to tell him that she was sorry.

“Take care of yourself.”

She slammed his hand down on the opal.

“Raven! No!”

She could feel the magic surging from the stone. She let go of his hand and was glad to see that he couldn't let go. White light was beginning to surround him. 

“Goodbye, Damian.”

“Raven!”

Just as he reached for her, he disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

Damian landed on top of the coffee table in the rec room of the Tower. The furniture gave way under his weight, sending him crashing to the floor. With a groan, he pushed himself up to his hands and knees.

“What the hell!” Gar yelled, scrambling off the couch. “Damian? Damian!”

The changeling helped Damian to his feet. “Where's Raven? Is she going to be crashing into the furniture, too?”

Raven.

Damian took a deep breath as her name caused a stab of pain in his chest. Had she kissed him because she had feelings for him? Or had it merely been a trick, a distraction so she could send him home?

“Where are the others?” Damian demanded. “Starfire? Nightwing?”

“Control room,” Gar answered immediately. “They are going to be so glad to see you, dude.”

“Hm.”

Gar watched as Damian limped out of the rec room. “Hey, why do you smell like fish?”

Damian's frown deepened as he noted voices other than Nightwing's and Starfire's coming from the control room. Why were there other people in the Tower?

He made his way to the open door of the control room. He recognized Zatanna. He didn't recognize the blond guy in the trench coat, leaning against the doorway. Dick sat in front of the monitors with Kori by his side.

Kori spotted him first. “Damian!”

“Dami!” Dick cried, rushing out of his chair to grab Damian by the shoulders. “Are you okay? Where's Raven?”

“I'm fine,” Damian growled, pulling himself free from Dick's grasp. “You have to send me back. Raven's still there and she's in trouble.”

“Yeah, just one problem, kid,” the blond guy said. “We have no idea where 'there' is.”

“John,” Zatanna scolded.

“What?” the guy said with a shrug. “It's not like Daddy Bats hasn't had every magic user in the League looking for them for the past week.”

Damian's mind reeled with the information. It had felt like he and Raven had been gone for just a few days. But this guy was saying that they had been gone for a whole week. Where the hell had they been?

“John Constantine is right,” Kori said. “Efforts to locate you and Raven have been unsuccessful so far. But perhaps your return can help us find Raven more efficiently.”

“You said that Raven was in trouble,” Dick said. “What kind of trouble?”

Damian sighed. “She doesn't have her powers. The crystal containing her father is weakening. Raven thinks that he is going to get free soon.”

“Sounds like we should leave her where she's at,” Constantine said.

“John!” Zantanna cried, outraged.

“Excuse me!” Damian growled. 

Constantine crossed his arms as he leveled a look at Damian. “Correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like this girl's about to release her father, who's a big, bad demon from what I understand. Why do we want to do that here? Leave her where she's at so when the demon's released, there's minimum damage.”

“Not an option,” Damian said.

“Damian's right,” Dick agreed. “Raven's a Titan. We don't give up on our own.”

“Besides, we were able to defeat her father once,” Kori added. “We will be able to do so again.”

“Yeah, but that was you with the heavy hitters of the League,” Constantine reminded them. 

“Can you find Raven or not?” Damian demanded, crossing his arms.

Constantine smirked. “I'm not saying no, little man.”

“Good.”

“Come on, Zee. I have an idea.” He paused, turning to Dick. “I'd stay away from the roof for the next hour or so.”

“Understood,” Dick said.

Constantine stopped at the elevator. “You coming, kid? Gonna to need you for this to work.”

Damian nodded. “I just need to make one stop first.”

“Make it quick.”

Damian took the stairs to his room. He changed into his uniform. And he grabbed his sword.

Raven sat in the courtyard on one of the stone benches. There was no sign of the squid-like creature but she wasn't getting any closer to the fountain to find out if it was still there or not. 

She couldn't bring herself to stay in the library. She didn't want to wait in the spot where she spent those final moments with Damian. She hoped that he had made it safely home.

But at least he was safely away from her.

'Soon, daughter,' Trigon said. It wasn't hard to feel his glee at his coming freedom.

“Yes, soon,” she agreed. 

She pulled out Damian's knife. The sharp blade gleamed in the weak light of the courtyard. With a sigh, she pressed the tip against her chest.

'Stop!' Trigon ordered. 'What are you doing?'

“Preventing another Azarath.”

'Stop!' Trigon shouted in her head. 'This is meaningless! Do you think that your death will stop me? It will only make my emergence in this realm easier, you foolish child!”

“Liar,” she said. “You need a portal. Without me, you're not going anywhere. You will be trapped in Hell where you belong.”

'Are you certain of that, daughter? Certain enough to stake your life?'

She smiled. “Yes.”

She was more than the portal for her father. She was more than his jailer.

She was more than the means of the destruction of Azarath.

She had found a family. She had become a friend. A sister. Even a hero. 

Raven wished that she could say goodbye to the Titans. Gar and Jaime had become like her brothers. And Starfire would take this so deeply, so personally.

Then there was Damian.

'I will spare him,' her father said. 'Him and your friends.'

“Liar,” she said again. She tightened her grip on the knife. “I'll see you in Hell.”

'Stop this, Raven! Raven!'

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the knife into her chest.

Damian frowned as he watched Constantine draw an elaborate chalk circle on the roof. He would occasionally stand back, study his work, mutter to himself and then continue drawing some more.

“He does know what he's doing, right?” Damian asked Zatanna.

“I know that John doesn't seem like it but he really is one of the most powerful magicians on Earth,” Zatanna replied with a fond smile. 

“I'll have to take your word for it.”

Zatanna placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “We won't stop until we find Raven, Damian. I promise.”

“We need to make it soon. She doesn't have much time.”

“I know,” she said.

“And we're done!” Constantine announced, stepping away from his circle.

Zatanna moved away from Damian to examine the circle. “Nicely done.”

Constantine turned to Damian. “So, Bat Kid, I'm about to fire this thing up. Even with Zatanna, I won't have enough juice to keep it powered up for long. You need to get there, get your girl and get out. Understand?”

“Perfectly.”

“Good.” Constantine turned back to the circle, pushing up his sleeves. He took a deep breath and raised his arms. The palm of his left hand was flat, facing the ground, while his right hand was bent perpendicular to the ground. His right thumb and forefinger made a circle but the other fingers remained straight.

The hair on the back of Damian's neck began to stand up as Constantine began chanting in some foreign language. Wind began to billow around the English magician, making his tie dance around his neck. But he ignored the flapping accessory. He remained focused on his chanting.

Suddenly bright blue light flared through the circle. Damian fought the urge to step back as wind flared from the circle across the roof. Constantine was now practically shouting, barely audible above the wind.

Then it all stopped. 

There was a softly glowing circle on the roof of the Tower. Constantine kept his right hand outstretched toward the circle as he turned to Damian. “Are you waiting for an engraved invitation? Get a move on, kid!”

“Right,” Damian. He kept a hand on his sword as he made his way to the circle.

“We'll keep this open as long as we can,” Zatanna said.

“But you only got about ten minutes. Fifteen tops,” Constantine added. “So you might want to hurry.”

Damian nodded. “We'll be back before the portal closes.”

“Good luck!” Zatanna said.

Tightening his grip on his sword, Damian stepped into the portal.


	9. Chapter 9

Raven gasped as magic suddenly flooded through her. Black light in the form of her soul self surrounded her. The larger raven gave a loud cry as it filled the sky. 

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the courtyard. She was seated at a table, a cup of tea sitting before her. Across the table sat Madam Rosa, sipping her own cup of tea.

“I was hoping to never to see you again,” Raven informed her.

“Well, that is a bit harsh,” Madam Rosa said, taking another sip. 

“Why am I here?”

“I must admit that I was surprised to find that you were the one left behind and not the young man. I was certain that he would have sent you back.” She set her cup down. “He seemed rather protective of you.”

“I was the better choice to stay,” Raven said. “Here my father would pose less of a risk should he escape.”

“Ah, but your father is no longer going to escape, is he?”

Raven clenched her hands into fists under the table. “No,” she bit out.

“And why is that?”

“Because I have my powers back.”

Madam Rosa gave her a smile. “The conditions of the spell have been met. You are no longer bound, Daughter of Trigon. Perhaps you have learned something about yourself?”

Raven frowned as she recalled the words that sent her here. 

'Daughter of Trigon, Daughter of Hell, now I bind you and bind you well. Journey forth and journey far. Find out what you truly are.'

She had been thinking about her life while sitting in the courtyard. She had realized that she was more than just her father's captor. She was a friend, a sister, a Titan. As she was getting ready to protect her friends and her home, her magic had returned. 

“This was a test!”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“Why?” Raven demanded. “Who are you!”

“Ah, young one, our time is up,” Madam Rosa replied. “Pity that you didn't try the tea.”

Before Raven could summon her magic, she was gone.

Damian landed in the courtyard in a crouch. He was surprised that he wasn't in the library. That was where he had left Raven after all.

He quickly scanned the area. He found Raven on a bench across the courtyard. Icy dread washed over him as he saw her pressing his knife to her chest.

He threw a batarang. It slammed against her wrist, causing her to drop the knife. He would have been relieved if it wasn't for the blood on her shirt.

“What the hell are you doing!” he demanded as he ran to her.

Raven blinked as she turned to him. “Damian?”

“Obviously,” he snapped. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

He grabbed the knife off the cobblestones and stashed it, having no intention of giving it back to her. “What were you thinking?”

“I was trying to stop my father!”

“Not that way, Raven,” he said, holding her by the shoulders. He fought the urge to shake her. “Never that way.”

“It doesn't matter anyway,” she said, averting her eyes. “I've got my powers back.”

“What? How?”

“It's a long story,” she said with a sigh. “What are you doing here?”

“Coming for you.”

“How?”

“Long story,” he said. He pulled her to her feet. “But basically a couple of magic users from the Justice League managed to open a portal. It's not going to stay open long so we better get moving. Unless you want to stay here. ”

They were almost to the portal when she stopped, making him turn and look at her. “You really did come back for me.”

He gave her an exasperated look. “I'll always come back for you, Raven.”

Before she could say anything, he shoved her towards the portal and home.

“This is ridiculous.” Raven gave the IV fluids a glare before turning her attention back to Dick and Kori. “I'm fine.”

“No,” Dick said, “you're dehydrated, malnourished and exhausted. One night in the medical bay isn't going to hurt you.”

“I've got my magic back. I can heal myself and Damian. There's no need for this. Any of this.”

“You need to conserve your energy, Raven,” Kori said. “Trying to heal yourself and Damian could weaken you even further.”

“It's just one night,” Dick repeated.

Raven sighed. “Fine.”

“I'll bring you and Damian some soup in a bit,” Dick said, finishing playing with her IV and the fluids running into her arm. “If you guys do okay with that, we'll move up to sandwiches.”

“Yippee,” Raven said sarcastically.

Dick glanced at his younger brother who just rolled his eyes. “Right. Be right back.”

Raven waited until Dick and Kori were gone before turning to Damian. “I”m surprised that you're agreeing to stay here.”

“Dick threatened to call Alfred.”

“Ah.” That would explain it. Only the threat of Alfred could keep Damian in the med bay. Not even Batman could do that. 

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up so she could face him better. “I never thanked you for coming back for me. I should have done it sooner. Thank you, Damian.”

Damian sat up and faced her. “Did you mean it?”

She blinked. “Mean what?”

“When you kissed me.” His face was carefully blank as he studied her. “Did you mean it? Or was it just a trick to send me back?”

“I meant it,” she said quietly, feeling her cheeks heat up. “It wasn't a trick.”

He stood up, walking to her with his IV pole. “And what would happen if I kissed you? Now that you have your powers back?”

“I-I don't know.”

He reached out and gently tucked a section of her hair back behind her ear. He kept his hand on her cheek, glad to find it warm again. “One way to find out.”

She closed her eyes as his head drifted down to hers. He used his hand to guide her lips to his. She sighed as he kissed her. 

Too quickly he pulled back. He glanced around the medical bay, relieved to find no damage. “So far, so good.”

“If you call that a kiss,” she taunted.

He looked down at her with a smirk. “Really?”

“Practice makes perfect.”

“Indeed.”

Her arms drifted up his back to his shoulders as he leaned back to her. He pressed his lips firmly to hers. His thumb caressing her cheek made her gasp, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

She could feel his emotions as they pressed closer together. His happiness that she returned his feelings. His contentment that she was safely back in the Tower. His desire for her that he had been holding back for so long.

She pulled away from him. “You! How could you have kept this hidden from me for so long?”

“Lots of practice,” he told her, still caressing her cheek. 

“You insufferable ass.”

He chuckled. “I'm beginning to think you mean that as a term of endearment.”

“You would,” she grumbled. 

His expression turned serious. “I didn't know how you felt and I didn't want to risk our friendship if you didn't feel the same, Raven.”

“I understand.”

“But I would like for us to try being together, Raven.”

“Me, too.”

“Good.” He gave her a smirk. “Feeling up to some more practice?”

She smiled back. “Just try to keep up, Boy Wonder.”

He leaned down for another kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

The being that had called itself Madam Rosa sipped a cup of tea. She watched as the boy appeared in the courtyard. He quickly threw one of his toys, knocking the knife out of the girl's hand.

The grandson of the Demon's Head.

The daughter of Trigon.

The pair were talking. He had his hands on her shoulders, his fingers digging into the fabric of her blood-covered jacket. She kept looking away as her cheeks flared a lovely shade of pink.

Now the boy was pulling the girl towards the portal, intent on getting them home. The girl suddenly stopped, saying something that seemed to annoy the boy. He said something in reply and nudged the girl into the portal, sending her home first.

The half-demon empath. 

The former assassin. 

How amusing it was to consider such a pairing, Madam Rosa mused as she took another sip of her tea before she turned away from the scene in the courtyard. The pair would find their way home. Hopefully they would be wiser for their journey in her realm.

The daughter of Trigon had proven herself more than her father's offspring. Even without her powers, she rose to face the challenges before her. She had battled the creatures without hesitation. She had fought to protect her friend. And when the arrival of her father was imminent, she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect the world.

Yes, the daughter of Trigon had been full of surprises.

Madam Rosa continued to drink her tea as she strolled to watch another scene. She watched as a young woman served soup to a disheveled woman before the older woman shuffled down the line to accept a chunk of bread from a young man. The young woman said something said something to make the young man laugh before turning to serve some soup to a haggard-looking man.

Such an ordinary looking girl. 

Yet hiding such extraordinary potential.

Madam Rosa smiled as she set her teacup down. If the daughter of Trigon had been full of surprises, she wondered how surprising this girl would be. How her type of her magic would react to the realm.

Yes, she looked forward to testing this Traci Thirteen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read, liked and commented on this story. It means the world to me. I don't think I'm done with these two...so stay tuned. :) --Allura


End file.
